Refrigeration system with indoor condenser and remote fan

ABSTRACT

A refrigeration system for a refrigerated merchandiser includes a refrigerated merchandiser disposed within an indoor environment, the refrigerated merchandiser including a case defining a product display area. The refrigeration system also includes a condenser coupled to the refrigerated merchandiser and disposed within the indoor environment, an evaporator coupled to the condenser and disposed within the indoor environment, a compressor coupled to the evaporator and disposed within the indoor environment, and a condenser fan assembly coupled to the condenser. The condenser fan assembly is disposed remote from the condenser in an ambient environment.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.61/752,310, filed Jan. 14, 2013, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a refrigeration system for refrigeratedmerchandisers, and more particularly to a parallel refrigeration systemsetup.

Small convenience stores typically use self-contained refrigerated casesto refrigerate product for consumers. These cases are refrigerated byone or more refrigeration systems located inside the store. Theserefrigeration systems typically include one or more condensers, as wellas a plurality of condenser fans. Due to their construction and design,the condensers and condenser fans reject significant amounts of heatdirectly into the store. This rejected heat increases the store ambienttemperature and increases energy consumption and demand for the store'sair conditioning system. Additionally, due to the quantity of condenserfans typically employed to reject refrigerant heat, these refrigerationsystems often generate significant noise within the store.

SUMMARY

In one construction, the invention provides a refrigeration systemrefrigeration system for a refrigerated merchandiser including arefrigerated merchandiser disposed within an indoor environment, therefrigerated merchandiser including a case defining a product displayarea. The refrigeration system also includes a condenser coupled to therefrigerated merchandiser and disposed within the indoor environment, anevaporator coupled to the condenser and disposed within the indoorenvironment, a compressor coupled to the evaporator and disposed withinthe indoor environment, and a condenser fan assembly coupled to thecondenser. The condenser fan assembly is disposed remotely from thecondenser in an ambient environment.

In another construction, the invention provides a method of moving airwith a refrigeration system including cooling air with an evaporatorinside an indoor environment and directing the cooled air into a productdisplay area of a refrigerated merchandiser inside the indoorenvironment. The method also includes directing warmed air from acondenser in the indoor environment to an ambient environment with acondenser fan assembly disposed in the ambient environment, thecondenser coupled to both the evaporator and the condenser fan assembly.

In another construction, the invention provides a method of moving airwith a refrigeration system including cooling air with an evaporatorinside an indoor environment and directing the cooled air into a productdisplay area of a refrigerated merchandiser inside the indoorenvironment. The method also includes directing outside air from anambient environment into the indoor environment with a condenser fanassembly disposed in the ambient environment, the condenser fan assemblycoupled to a condenser disposed in the indoor environment. The methodalso includes warming the outside air with the condenser.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration ofthe detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a building interior,including a refrigeration system embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of a portion of the building interiorand the refrigeration system.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the refrigeration systemillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is another perspective view of a portion of the refrigerationsystem illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction and the arrangement of components set forthin the following description or illustrated in the following drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orof being carried out in various ways.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-4 show a refrigeration system 10 that is positionedsubstantially within a building 14 (e.g., a convenience store, a grocerystore, a warehouse, or other indoor environment). The building 14includes a roof 18, a floor 22, and a plurality of merchandisers 26 thatare positioned along the floor 22. Each merchandiser 26 includes a case30 defining a product display area 32 for supporting and displaying foodproducts to be visible and accessible through an opening or openings inthe front of the case 30. At least some of the merchandisers 26 includeone or more evaporators (not shown) that are in communication with therefrigeration system 10 so that the product display areas 32 of thesemerchandisers 26 can be conditioned by the refrigeration system 10.Also, some merchandisers 26 include doors 34 that enclose the productdisplay areas 32 of the cases 30 to reduce the amount of cold airreleased into the surrounding environment. The doors 34 typicallyinclude one or more glass panels that allow a consumer to view the foodproducts stored inside the case 30. In some constructions, themerchandisers 26 can be provided without doors.

The illustrated refrigeration system 10 is a parallel refrigerationsystem that conditions several merchandisers 26, although severalrefrigeration systems 10 can be provided in the building 14 to conditionone or more merchandisers 26. As will be appreciated by one of ordinaryskill in the art, the refrigeration system 10 includes one or morecompressors 36 (illustrated schematically in FIG. 4) and a condenser 38that has a condenser housing 40 and a condenser coil 42. The compressors36 and the condenser 38 are connected in series with the evaporator(s)in each merchandiser 26, and a refrigerant is circulated through therefrigeration circuit defined by these components so that a refrigeratedairflow can be provided by the evaporator(s) to the respective productdisplay areas 32.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the refrigeration system 10 is a modularrefrigeration system that is positioned on top of one merchandiser 26and that is pre-charged with a predetermined quantity of refrigerant andthat is fluidly connected to each case 30 by quick connect fittings 44(e.g., tubing and quick connect couplings). In the illustratedconstruction, the merchandisers 26 are pre-packaged with the evaporatorsand include a refrigerant charge (i.e., a holding charge) to provide arelatively quick installation of the merchandiser 26 and therefrigeration system 10. One or more noise deadening enclosures 45(illustrated schematically in FIG. 4) are provided around the compressor36 to reduce noise emanating from the compressor 36. While theillustrated refrigeration system 10 is a parallel refrigeration system,the refrigeration system 10 can be at least partially dedicated to onemerchandiser 10.

The evaporators connected in the refrigeration system 10 receivesaturated refrigerant that has passed through one or more expansionvalves disposed between the condenser 38 and the evaporator. Thesaturated refrigerant is evaporated as it passes through the evaporatorsas a result of absorbing heat from air passing over the evaporators viaheat exchange. The absorption of heat by the refrigerant allows thetemperature of the air to decrease as the air passes over theevaporators. The heated or gaseous refrigerant then exits theevaporators and is directed to the compressors 36 where the refrigerantis compressed and delivered to the condenser 38 for cooling via heatexchange with air passing over the coil 42 prior to restarting thecycle.

Air exiting the condenser 38 is heated via heat exchange with therefrigerant in the coil 42. With continued referenced to FIGS. 1-4, therefrigeration system 10 includes a ductwork 46 that provides aircommunication between the condenser 38 and an ambient, outdoorenvironment 48 disposed outside of the indoor environment of thebuilding 14. At one end 50, the ductwork 46 is coupled to the condenserhousing 40 of the refrigeration system 10 adjacent the condenser coil42. At the other end 54, the ductwork 46 is coupled to the roof 18 andis in communication with the outdoor environment 48. As illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, the ductwork 46 has a primarily tubular constructionbetween the refrigerated merchandiser 26 and roof 18, and the ductwork46 extends generally vertically between the top of the refrigeratedmerchandiser 26 and the roof 18.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigeration system 10 alsoincludes a condenser fan assembly 58 disposed on the roof 18 and thathas one or more fans 60 to generate an airflow within the ductwork 46.The fan 60 is located adjacent the end of the ductwork 46 on the roof18, though the fan or fans 60 can also be located within the ductwork46. The fan 60 includes a motor (e.g., a variable frequency drivemotor), although other types of motors can be used.

The condenser fan assembly 58 is located outside the building 14 toreduce the noise within the building 14. The condenser fan assembly 58can be located anywhere outside the building and remote from thecondenser 38 (e.g., coupled to the roof 18 on the interior side of thebuilding 14).

In operation, the condenser fan assembly 58 can be operated continuouslyor for a predetermined time period to move air within the ductwork 46 toeither direct air from the condenser 38 to the ambient, outdoorenvironment 48, or from the outdoor environment 48 to the condenser 38.As air moves over the condenser coil 42, the air is warmed by heatexchange with refrigerant flowing through the condenser coil 42. Whenthe interior space of the building 14 is being cooled (e.g., by aheating, ventilation, and air conditioning or “HVAC” system), theairflow warmed by refrigerant in the condenser coil 42 is directedtoward the roof 18 through the ductwork 46 by the condenser fan assembly58. The ductwork 46 provides a pathway for the unidirectional airflowgenerated by the fan assembly 58 that directs the warmed air out of thebuilding 18 into the ambient outdoor environment 48.

When it is desired to heat the interior space of the building 14, theductwork 46 and the fan assembly 58 can be used to direct ambient airfrom outside the building 14 toward the condenser coil 42. Inparticular, the direction of rotation of the condenser fan assembly 58can be reversed so that ambient air from outdoor environment 48 is drawninto the ductwork 46 and directed toward the condenser coil 42. Theambient airflow is directed over the condenser coil 42, where theairflow is heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing throughthe condenser coil 42. The warmed air is then directed into the interiorspace of the building 14 to offset at least some of the heating capacityprovided by the HVAC system, especially when the outdoor environment 48is relatively cold (e.g., during colder temperature seasons). That is,reversing the airflow within the ductwork 46 can reduce the need tooperate the HVAC system to heat the interior space when the outsidetemperatures are low.

Referring back to FIG. 1, a controller 66 is in communication with therefrigeration system 10 to control, among other things, therefrigeration system 10 and the condenser fan assembly 58. Thecontroller 66 is also in communication with a temperature sensor 70, orseveral sensors 70, located inside the building 14. The illustratedcontroller 66 is also in communication with an ambient temperaturesensor 74 located outside the building 14. In some constructions, thecontroller 66 can be in communication with the HVAC system.

The controller 66 can utilize information from the sensors 70, 74 todetermine whether the refrigeration system 10 exhausts air warmed byheat exchange with the refrigerant in the coil 42 to the outsideenvironment 48, or whether air is directed from the outside environment48 into the building 14 to be warmed by heat exchange with therefrigerant in the coil 42 and exhausted into the building 14. Forexample, the controller 66 can monitor the air temperature inside thebuilding 14 by receiving a signal from the temperature sensor 70indicative of the interior building temperature. Based on the signalfrom the temperature sensor 70, the controller 66 determines whether theinterior building temperature is above a first predetermined temperature(e.g., any temperature between about 60° Fahrenheit and 80° Fahrenheit).When the interior building temperature is above the predeterminedtemperature, the controller can control the fan assembly 58 to directair from the condenser 38 toward and into the outdoor environment 48 toavoid undesirably heating the interior space of the building 14. Whenthe interior building temperature is below the predeterminedtemperature, the controller can control the fan assembly 58 to directair from the outdoor environment 48 toward and through the condenser 38to assist with cooling the interior space of the building 14.

In some constructions, the controller 66 can utilize other information(e.g., a thermostat temperature, a state of the HVAC system, etc.) todetermine the desired direction of airflow within the ductwork 46. Forexample, the controller 66 can control the fan assembly 58 to direct airfrom the condenser 38 toward and into the outdoor environment 48 whenthe HVAC system is in a cooling mode to avoid adding heat to theinterior space. The controller 66 can control the fan assembly 58 todirect air from the outdoor environment 48 toward the condenser 38 whenthe HVAC system is in a heating mode so supplement heating provided bythe HVAC system. In other constructions, the controller 66 can utilizethe temperature sensed by the outdoor temperature sensor 74 to directair out of the building 14 when the outdoor temperature is above athreshold temperature or temperature range, and to direct air into thebuilding 14 when the outdoor temperature is below the thresholdtemperature or temperature range.

Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A refrigeration system for a refrigeratedmerchandiser, the refrigeration system comprising: a refrigeratedmerchandiser positioned in an indoor environment, the refrigeratedmerchandiser including a case defining a product display area; acondenser coupled to the refrigerated merchandiser within the indoorenvironment; an evaporator coupled to the condenser and positionedwithin the indoor environment; a compressor coupled to the evaporatorand positioned within the indoor environment; and a condenser fanassembly coupled to the condenser, the condenser fan assembly disposedremote from the condenser in an ambient environment.
 2. Therefrigeration system of claim 1, wherein the refrigeration systemincludes a ductwork that provides airflow communication between thecondenser and the ambient environment.
 3. The refrigeration system ofclaim 2, wherein the condenser includes a condenser housing and acondenser coil, and wherein the ductwork is coupled at one end to thecondenser housing adjacent the condenser coil.
 4. The refrigerationsystem of claim 3, wherein the ductwork is coupled at an opposite end tothe condenser fan assembly.
 5. The refrigeration system of claim 2,wherein the ductwork has a primarily tubular construction.
 6. Therefrigeration system of claim 2, wherein the ductwork extends generallyvertically between a top of the refrigerated merchandiser and a roof ofa building.
 7. The refrigeration system of claim 2, wherein thecondenser fan assembly includes a fan that generates an airflow withinthe ductwork.
 8. The refrigeration system of claim 2, wherein thecondenser fan assembly includes a fan disposed adjacent an end of theductwork.
 9. The refrigeration system of claim 1, wherein the condenserfan assembly is disposed on a roof of a building.
 10. The refrigerationsystem of claim 1, further comprising a controller that is coupled tothe condenser fan assembly that directs the condenser fan assembly tomove air both in and out of the indoor environment.
 11. Therefrigeration system of claim 1, wherein the condenser is a singlecondenser, and wherein the refrigeration system is a parallelrefrigeration system that includes a plurality of merchandisers disposedwithin the indoor environment, each of the merchandisers coupled to thesingle condenser.
 12. The refrigeration system of claim 11, wherein theparallel refrigeration system includes a plurality of compressors andevaporators, and wherein the compressors and the single condenser areconnected in series with the evaporators in each merchandiser so that arefrigerated airflow is provided to the product display area in eachrefrigerated merchandiser.
 13. A method of operating a refrigerationsystem comprising: cooling an airflow with an evaporator in an indoorenvironment; directing the cooled airflow into a product display area ofa refrigerated merchandiser positioned within the indoor environment;and directing a warmed airflow from a condenser in the indoorenvironment to an ambient environment with a condenser fan assemblydisposed in the ambient environment, the condenser coupled to both theevaporator and the condenser fan assembly.
 14. The method of claim 12,wherein the step of directing warmed air includes first detecting atemperature inside the indoor environment with a sensor disposed in theindoor environment, and based on the detected temperature, directing thewarmed air to the ambient environment.
 15. The method of claim 12,wherein the step of directing warmed air includes first detecting atemperature in the ambient environment with a sensor disposed in theambient environment, and based on the detected temperature, directingthe warmed air to the ambient environment.
 16. The method of claim 12,wherein the step of directing warmed air includes first determining thatthe refrigerated merchandiser is in a cooling mode, and based on thedetermination that the refrigerated merchandiser is in a cooling mode,directing the warmed air to the ambient environment.
 17. A method ofmoving air with a refrigeration system, the method comprising: coolingair with an evaporator in an indoor environment and directing the cooledair into a product display area of a refrigerated merchandiser in theindoor environment; directing outside air from an ambient environmentinto the indoor environment with a condenser fan assembly disposed inthe ambient environment, the condenser fan assembly coupled to acondenser disposed in the indoor environment; and warming the outsideair with the condenser.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step ofdirecting outside air includes first detecting a temperature in theindoor environment with a sensor disposed in the indoor environment, andbased on the detected temperature, directing the outside air into theindoor environment.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the step ofdirecting outside air includes first detecting a temperature in theambient environment with a sensor disposed in the ambient environment,and based on the detected temperature, directing the outside air intothe indoor environment.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the step ofdirecting outside air includes first determining that the refrigeratedmerchandiser is in a heating mode, and based on the determination thatthe refrigerated merchandiser is in a heating mode, directing theoutside air into the indoor environment.